


one year later

by mikaylaluv



Category: The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 11:24:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3648531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikaylaluv/pseuds/mikaylaluv
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a short story about hazel visiting gus. one year later</p>
            </blockquote>





	one year later

Her oxygen tank got caught on the grass twice, she almost dropped the orange tulips once. Her breath was shaking and frankly it was warm outside. Very warm. When the short haired woman finally made it to the head stone, she lowered herself down to the ground. She replaced the old flowers and put in the new ones. ”Just a sec…”

She lowered her head and focused on the oxygen flowing through the cannula and when she found the words, she looked up.   
  
" _Damn lungs, can never get their shit together._ "

Fingers moved through her brown hair and sighed.

“Hey Gus…it’s been another year. I can hardly believe it myself. So much has happened since you left us.Even though…I don’t think you have left. I think you’ve accomplished becoming a ghost…oh shoot..”   
  
She ruffled through her bag and pulled out the unopened box of cigarettes. Thelight color beaming and the warning bold. She opened it up and took out two, placing one between her teeth, the other on top of the headstone and placed the box next to the flowers. She took out the white and orange cancer stick from her mouth and played with it between her fingers.  
  
“I can hear it now, ‘Hazel Grace you came and visited the site where I lay and you forgot about the metaphor’. Your voice is still clear as day in my head.  
  
Lidewij is visiting from Amsterdam. She says that Van Houten is still the same douchepants as he was. I took her on a tour like she did with us. I told her I was visiting you today and I’ll bring her tomorrow. She still regrets missing your funeral. I told her that she would have been more welcome than Van Houten.”  
  
Hazel fixed the tubes and sighed, looking at the name on the headstone.   
  
                                 AUGUSTUS WATERS  
                       March 14th, 1993 – June 6th, 2012  
                   “I’m on a rollercoaster that only goes up”  
  
Hazel closed her eyes and took another deep breath before opening them. The saying was something that Hazel chose personally. Mrs. Waters wanted one of the encouragements but Hazel begged her to use this quote. One he said himself.

“I miss you, we all do. I…met someone, Gus. He’s sweet and funny, doesn’t understand the metaphors but…he understands that you mean something to me. Isaac told him that you would come and shove your prosthetic ghost leg up his ass if he ever did anything to hurt me. I even believe that. He’s pretty cool, Gus, I know that you would want me to be with someone like him. He doesn’t have cancer, but his sister did. He was at support group – which apparently Isaac and I got roped into running – his sister passed away a few months ago and wanted to share his story. I seem to have a thing for picking up support group guys, don’t I?”  
  
Hazel picked at her nail polish and looked away. 

"The world is so different without you. I wish you can see that. People remember you. You wanted that. People are...sharing your story. Isaac and I may have had something to do with that but keep that on the down low okay?"

Hazel just stared at the headstone, wondering why she was going this and feeling emotional because she just missed him. She missed the way his arms held onto her as if life depended on it. The way he kissed her. And even though they all knew he was dying, he still tried. His ego shot, but he did. She loved every bit of him and is so grateful for the eighteen year old dude with one leg.  
  
“I should probably get going. I love you, Gus.”  
  
Hazel pushed herself up before extending the handle on her oxygen tank.  
  
“I’ll come visit soon Gus, okay?”  
  
Hazel smiled before turning and pulling her oxygen tank up onto her shoulders.

 

**Author's Note:**

> phew. this work was actually hard for me to write and i am happy that i have been able to transfer it over to here. :)


End file.
